High School Choices

Dear Families, 

Below you will find a list of high schools sorted by admissions methods that many of our former students attend. You can find more information in the New York City High School Directory, which is given to 7th grade students at the year of the school year.  Find the online directory HERE.

Please keep me posted about schools you feel should be added to this list. 

Thank you,

Julie McCullough
School Counselor

Audition
These programs rank students based on their performance in an audition that evaluates how strong they are in a specific performing arts and/or visual arts area. Audition requirements, dates, and times are included on the school pages. Some Audition programs may also consider students’ academic performance and attendance from the prior school year.

  • Art and Design High School (Architectural Design, Commercial Art and Design, Film/Video Production)
  • High School of Fashion Industries 
  • Professional Performing Arts High School (Musical Theater, Drama, Classical Vocal Music, Dance)
  • Repertory Company High School for Theater Arts (Theater Arts)
  • Special Music School (Voice, Instrument, and Composition)
  • Talent Unlimited (Musical Theater, Vocal Music, Dance, Drama, Instrumental)
  • Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School (Film and Media Arts, Fine Arts, Instrumental Music, Vocal Music, Dance, Drama) 
  • *Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (*Specialized School with the following Programs: Fine Art, Dance, Instrumental Music, Vocal Music, Drama, Technical Theater)

Educational Option (Ed. Opt.)
Educational Option programs are meant to serve students having a wide range of academic levels. These programs admit students who have high, middle and low reading levels. Half of the students in each reading level group will be selected based on their rankings from the school using multiple criteria. The other half will be selected randomly from the remaining applicants.

  • A. Philip Randolph: Academic Professions
  • Chelsea Career and Technical Education High School (Visual Art and Design)
  • High School for Environmental Studies (Environmental Studies)
  • High School of  Economics and Finance
  • Life Sciences Secondary School 
  • Richard R. Green High School for Teaching (Teaching Academy, Liberal Arts Academy)
  • Stephen T. Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship 

Limited Unscreened
Limited Unscreened programs give priority to students who demonstrate interest in the school by attending a school’s information session(s), open house event(s), or by visiting the school’s table at any one of the high school fairs. You must sign in at these events to receive priority to the school’s Limited Unscreened program(s).

  • Academy for Software Engineering
  • Business of Sports School
  • Essex Street Academy
  • Food and Finance
  • Harvest Collegiate 
  • Hudson High School of Learning Technologies
  • Inwood Early College for Health and Information Technologies
  • Landmark High School
  • Manhattan Early College School for Advertising
  • Pace High School
  • Quest to Learn
  • Urban Assembly of Government and Law
  • Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology
  • Urban Assembly New York Harbor School (Marine Science, Marine Technology)
  • Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management
  • Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School

Screened
These programs rank students based on criteria that may include final report card grates, ELA and math standardized test scores, and attendance and punctuality from the prior school year. Each Screened program may also list any additional requirements to be considered, such as an interview, essay, on-site exam, or demonstrated interest in the school (such as attendance at an Open House or other school visit) in the selection criteria section of the Directory.

  • A. Philip Randolph (Academy of Humanities, Academy of Engineering, Academy of Medicine)
  • Bard High School (Manhattan and Queens)
  • Beacon High School
  • Central Park East School
  • Chelsea Career and Technical High School (Computer Science and Technology)
  • City College Academy of the Arts
  • The Clinton School for Writers and Artists 
  • Columbia Secondary School
  • Frank McCourt
  • High School for Environmental Studies (Honors Academy)
  • Manhattan Center for Science and Math
  • Manhattan Hunter High School
  • Manhattan Village Academy
  • NYC iSchool
  • New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math 
  • Park East High School

Test (Specialized High School Admissions Test)
Test programs require students to take the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) for entrance. Eight Specialized High Schools are the only schools that require the SHSAT. For more information, please review the Specialized High Schools Student Handbook, or see page 11.

  • Bronx High School of Science
  • Brooklyn Latin School
  • Brooklyn Technical High School
  • High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at the City College of New York
  • High School of American Studies at Lehman College
  • Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
  • Staten Island Technical High School
  • Stuyvesant High School

Private and Independent School Options
For private and independent schools, parents and students may visit the The Parents League of New York's website HERE. Each year in September, The Parents League holds fairs for both boarding schools and for middle and upper day schools.

Catholic Schools
Find more about admissions to NYC Catholic High Schools: HERE
Find more about Student Sponsors Scholarship (SSP) for Select Catholic Schools: HERE

Helpful Links

Up-to-date High School Information from the Hudson Cliffs website: HERE

DOE High School Enrollment Information: HERE

Great Schools--Public and Private School Ratings: HERE

Admissions to NYC Catholic High Schools: HERE

Student Sponsors Scholarship (SSP) for Select Catholic Schools: HERE